


The Other One

by hermionemonica



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21535906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermionemonica/pseuds/hermionemonica
Summary: When Chat Noir came upon Marinette in an alley after an akuma attack, Marinette obviously could not tell him that she had just detransformed. But Chat Noir is overcome with concern for her and takes her home. Will this incident bring about a change in their relationship?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 14
Kudos: 246





	The Other One

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a gift for my friend, [thecrazyladybug](https://thecrazyladybug.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.

A black cat-superhero leaped across the Paris rooftops carrying a young lady in his arms. He seemed to be headed towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. 

“There you go, Princess!” Chat put Marinette down on her balcony. 

Marinette couldn’t move her eyes from Chat's face. She had spent so much time with her dorky partner, but how had she missed so much of kindness shimmering in his green eyes? 

Chat ran a hand gingerly over the bruise on the side of her face. “Please don't go near an akuma attack again. I don't want you getting hurt.” 

How could Marinette explain to him that he had come upon her just after she had detransformed in an alley? And she couldn’t just stay away from akumas, she was Ladybug! But of course, Chat didn't know that this girl in front of her was his superhero partner. 

Chat's clawed hand lingered on her cheek, careful to not scratch her. Marinette liked the warmth of his touch on her skin. 

Marinette was so lost in his eyes that she hadn’t realized that Chat had leaned down so that their faces were only inches apart. When she noticed, a deep red blush spread over her cheeks. 

“Good night Marinette," Chat whispered, as he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. A shiver ran down Marinette’s spine as his fingers brushed lightly over her neck. With a last wink at her, Chat Noir vaulted away into the darkness of the night. 

Marinette slowly climbed down the ladder to her bedroom. A look of surprise and longing was still etched on her face as if she was under a spell. She sat up on her bed, facing the wall, and gently ran her hand over the photos of Adrien that she had collected over the months. 

Tikki zoomed out of Marinette's purse and flew to her side. “Are you alright Marinette?” she asked, concerned. 

“I don't know, Tikki. Is it okay to feel like this?” 

“Like what?” 

Marinette stayed silent. Tikki floated near Marinette's face. “Is it that you feel unfaithful towards Adrien?” 

“No. In fact, I never realized before today how similar they both are.” 

“Marinette, are you sure you are not projecting your feelings for Adrien onto Chat Noir?” 

“I don't know,” Marinette whispered as if she was afraid to say it out loud. 

Marinette lay down on her back and let out a deep sigh. Why was she thinking about Chat so much now? She had known that flirty cat for almost a year now, and she had never felt like this about him. What was wrong with her? Was she so desperate for Adrien that she had begun to see him in every boy she knew? 

She touched the bruise on her face and felt a tingling. It wasn't the pain though, she just remembered Chat's touch there. And how he had looked at her when he saw she was hurt. 

It was a different thing to see him being exceedingly loud in declaring his feelings for Ladybug. But tonight, when Chat found her standing in the alley and had immediately devoted himself to getting her home safely, Marinette had seen the quiet concern in his eyes. Had he looked like that at Ladybug before? Did he look like that at every civilian he rescued? 

Marinette's mind was filled with too many questions whose answers she did not know. Physically and emotionally tired from the events of the evening, she drifted off to sleep very soon and had dreams where her Adrien and her kitty merged into one. 

Tikki floated over Marinette when she had fallen asleep, and planted a little kiss on her forehead. She cared greatly for her chosen, but this time, she couldn't help her. Marinette had to figure out her feelings herself. 

“What is this feeling?” Adrien asked aloud. He detransformed and jumped into his bed as soon as he entered his room through his window. 

Plagg was too busy munching on his cheese to respond to Adrien's question, and he knew Adrien needed some time to get his emotions in order. 

Adrien ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't stop thinking about Marinette. The way she had looked at him as they stood in her balcony. He couldn’t fathom that look. 

When Marinette looked at Adrien, he saw nervous laughter, excitement, and friendship in that look. When Ladybug looked at Chat Noir, he saw unhesitating faith and fiery confidence in that look. When Kagami looked at Adrien, he saw admiration and a subtle competition in her look. 

But the way Marinette had looked at Chat Noir today, it was different. It was the way one looks at fire, enthralled and with wonder, and yet with fear. He could not get that look out of his head, no matter how much he tried. And it was doing things to him. Strange things. Like he felt his heart tug and his breath catch when Marinette's bluebell eyes came to his mind. 

Strangely though, Marinette’s eyes were just the same shade of blue as Ladybug's. But while Ladybug's eyes made him think of open skies and freedom, Marinette's eyes made him think about the depths of oceans and unfathomed mysteries. 

Adrien took his phone and opened his gallery. His finger lingered for a while over the icon of the folder that contained Ladybug's photos. Then he scrolled past it, to a folder named “Friends". It was mostly filled with selfies with Chloe and Nino. But he scrolled down, till he reached a group selfie that Alya had taken weeks ago. Four people. Nino, Alya, himself, and... Marinette. Adrien zoomed in on Marinette's face. There was a light blush on her face as she smiled at the camera. Had she always been so beautiful? 

He did not know for how long he stared at that photograph before he fell asleep, but when he woke up and unlocked his phone, Marinette’s was the first face that greeted him. And it warmed his heart strangely; he couldn't have wished for a better start to his day. 

When Adrien reached school, he found himself searching for those raven pigtails and bluebell eyes. Then again, Marinette was late most days, so he trudged his way to his classroom. 

At the gong of the last bell, Marinette ran into the class, panting and out of breath. Adrien suppressed a giggle at her cuteness. While passing by his seat, she gave him a nervous smile, and Adrien forgot how to breathe. 

All day, Adrien could not focus on the class. How could he, when Marinette was sitting just behind him? 

What was wrong with him? Why was Marinette suddenly having such an effect on him? 

There was an akuma attack during their PE class. Soon, Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the scene. 

The akuma was quickly dealt with. As Chat turned to leave, his heart impatient to see Marinette again, he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. He turned around to see Ladybug looking at him, her brows knitted with concern. 

“Are you okay, Chat?” 

Ladybugs piercing gaze made his heart thump in his chest like always, and it left him all the more conflicted. Why was he feeling like this for two different girls? 

“Yeah, just a little tired.” 

“Oh. Get some rest, okay?” Ladybug let her hand slide down from Chat's shoulder, down his arm, to his hand. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and gave it a light squeeze. 

Chat couldn't move. Ladybug was looking at him like she never had before. For a moment, he stood there, transfixed, lost in her eyes. Just then a beep from Ladybug’s earrings broke the spell. 

“I gotta go kitty. Take care!” she said before swinging away. 

Chat stood there for a while. Then he turned and vaulted away towards the school. 

Adrien was behaving weirdly today, and it was making Marinette really nervous. 

Their first class was Chemistry, and Adrien had volunteered to pair with her. And then in the middle of the experiment, he had touched her cheek and brushed his thumb over her bruise and whispered, “Does it hurt?” It took her everything to not combust right then and there (but unfortunately, it didn’t stop her from spilling all her stuff over the table.) 

Then at the end of the day, he offered to walk Marinette to the foot of the stairs because “I like being with you.” 

She had no idea what Adrien was trying to do. Adrien was looking at her like she was some precious thing and she could not handle it. His gaze was making her jumpy and she could not understand what was happening, so she kept trying to keep a straight face and talk with as less stammering as she could. 

And when Adrien whispered “Goodbye" in that voice, that broke the last straw for her. Her mind stopped working and she ran to her home as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Once she was in her room, she let out a breath that she had been holding for too long. She tried to calm her nerves but to no avail. Now she just hoped that Chat would drop in later tonight, because she felt only his presence could put some of the raging questions in her mind to rest. 

Chat perched silently on a rooftop. From there he could have a clear view of the Dupain Cheng bakery. It was already late. The black colour of his suit and his night vision enabled him to see clearly without being seen. So he spied on the pretty girl across the street. 

Marinette stood in her balcony, leaning on the railings and looking over the night landscape. She was in her pajamas, and a pink shawl was lightly draped across her shoulders. She had her hair in a loose braid, and she wore no makeup, but even then Chat thought she looked the most beautiful that he had ever seen her. In her hand she held her phone, the glow from the screen lighting up her face, and Chat saw that both her regular smile and blush were missing from her features. And that didn't feel right at all. 

There was a storm of emotions in Marinette's mind. About Adrien. About Chat Noir. She stared at her wallpaper, a photo of Adrien. That photo was her favourite because of the soft yet fiery look in his eyes that seemed to pierce right at her soul whenever she looked at it. And yet, it could not calm her heart today. 

Suddenly she looked up. Why was she getting the feeling that she was being watched? She pulled her shawl closer to her and tried to hear for anything. 

Just then a loud thump just beside her startled her and she jumped up with a shriek, dropping her phone. Turning around, she was met with luminescent green eyes and she screamed and would have fallen over if not strong black leather-clad arms had caught her just at the right moment. 

“Chat Noir?” 

“Hi Princess,” Chat smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.” 

Chat Noir pulled Marinette back to her feet and bent over to pick up her phone from the floor. The screen was still lit. Chat Noir couldn't help himself from taking a glance at the screen. To say he was surprised would be a huge understatement. 

“Is that m-the model boy?” 

Marinette seemed to just realize what had happened. She snatched the phone from Chat's hand and kept standing there, looking at her feet. A fiery blush spread over her freckled cheeks, and Chat thought she looked like a disgruntled angel. 

After a few moments, Chat Noir gulped and ventured to break the silence. “You didn't answer my question, Princess.” 

Marinette looked at Chat without completely lifting her head. She met his eyes and saw a mischievous glint in them. Oh no, he was going to tease her endlessly if she told him about Adrien. 

Well, he would probably tease her even more if she did not give him an answer because he had already seen the photo on her lock-screen. 

Marinette took a deep breath. Okay, how bad could it be? This was Chat Noir, her kind, dorky partner and friend. She could talk to him, right? Besides, he knew the feeling of unrequited love, so maybe she could hope that he would understand her position. 

“Yeah, it's Adrien Agreste.” 

“Why do you have him on your lock-screen? I guess you're quite a fan, huh?” 

Yes, tell him you're just a fan of him, of his father's designing, of fashion. 

No, she couldn't lie to Chat. Not about Adrien, at least. 

“Actually, it's a bit more than that." She saw Chat's cat-ears point upwards in curiosity and excitement. Marinette resisted a strong urge to pet him, and went on with her story. 

“I-I kinda like him.” 

Marinette liked Adrien? She liked... him? 

“Really?” 

Marinette giggled at how excited Chat Noir sounded. “Yeah,” her voice dropped to a whisper “But he will never return my feelings. He is in love with another girl.” 

Adrien's eyes widened. How had he never realized? This amazing girl had been in love with him and he had the audacity to never notice? The pain on Marinette's face was killing him, and the fact that he was the reason for it made him want to strangle himself. 

But he had to do something! He couldn't just let his Princess be sad like that! 

“Hey,” Chat whispered, making Marinette look up. His voice had so much emotion in it that it made her a little shaky in the knees. And then he raised his hand to lightly caress her cheek, and Marinette would have swooned if she were not already being pulled by the magnetic spell of Chat’s eyes. “Anybody would be a fool to not see how amazing and beautiful you are.” 

This time Adrien had the privilege to observe closely how the blush crept up on Marinette's cheeks and spread to her neck and ears. And he felt a rumble working its way up his chest. 

Prr... 

Marinette's eyes widened. “Did you just purr?” 

Chat removed his hand from Marinette’s face and scratched the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, it happens sometimes,” he said, “It's embarrassing. Sorry.” 

Marinette giggled. “I think it's endearing.” 

Chat’s eyes widened for a bit, and Marinette thought she saw his cheeks redden under his mask. Then he smiled. 

After that Marinette and Chat Noir resumed looking at the Parisian night, occasionally stealing glances at the other when they weren’t looking. A comfortable silence fell between them. 

After a while, Marinette looked to her side and saw Chat shivering. “Are you cold?” 

Chat looked at her and said, “Yeah, this suit doesn't give much protection against the cold, you know?” 

Of course, she knew. First-hand too, that is. 

Marinette spread a side of the shawl she had wrapped around her. “Want to share?” 

Adrien had not seen this coming. But what idiot would turn down an offer like that? 

Chat Noir edged nearer to Marinette till they were almost touching. And then Marinette reached up and wrapped the end of the shawl around Chat's shoulder. 

After a while, Chat decided to try his luck. He lifted the hand that was closer to Marinette, and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Is this okay?” 

Marinette was taken aback for a bit, but the heat radiating from his body was so inviting. So she leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. “Mm-hm,” was all she could manage to say. 

Adrien could feel his cheeks on fire. Marinette was so close to him and it was such a different feeling. He could not move. 

“You seem a little stiff, Chat Noir. Are you okay?” 

Marinette was looking at him with concern. Her eyes, they were doing something to him. His hands began to move as if they had a mind of their own. 

When Chat’s hands came up to cup her face, Marinette took a step back. What was going on? 

And then Chat Noir lifted her face ever so slightly, and Marinette froze when she saw Chat’s face moving closer to her, his eyes half-lidded. 

“Chat,” she whispered, “I am in love with someone else.” 

Marinette hated herself for saying that. 

But she was relieved when she heard Chat's reply. 

“So am I,” he whispered, almost growled, before his lips crashed into hers and took her breath away.


End file.
